Latest Florida Headlines
All the headlines from our Florida Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida’s Citizens Plans 19% Rate Hike on High-Value Coastal Condos
Nov 16 2011 // Florida residents living in high-value condominium buildings insured by the state’s government-run homeowners’ insurer could see their rates increase by 19 percent on average. Citizens Property Insurance Corp.,...
Florida’s Citizens Seeks Lawmakers’ Help to Raise Rates, Shrink Size
Nov 16 2011 // Florida’s largest property insurer wants sweeping changes — including the ability to charge higher rates — in the coming year. It may be a hard sell during a contentious election year, but the board that governs...
Merck Settles Vioxx Suits from New York, Florida, South Carolina
Nov 15 2011 // Merck & Co. has reached settlements to resolve lawsuits from the states of New York, Florida and South Carolina alleging the company misled state regulators about the dangers of the painkiller Vioxx, according to court...
Supreme Court to Hear Healthcare Law in March
Nov 14 2011 // The Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide the fate of President Barack Obama’s healthcare law, with an election-year ruling due by July on the U.S. healthcare system’s biggest overhaul in nearly 50 years. The...
Florida’s HomeWise Continues in Run-Off; Sells Louisiana Policies
Nov 14 2011 // Florida-based HomeWise Insurance Co. is now is full run-off mode as it attempts to pay all outstanding claims and other debts in order to avoid being taken over by Florida regulators. The Clearwater, Fla.-based home...
What Options Do HomeWise Customers Have in Homeowners Choice Deal?
Nov 14 2011 // Florida policyholders of HomeWise Insurance should not see dramatic changes in their renewal premium if their policies are taken over by Homeowners Choice, according to the company official. The policyholders have the...
Florida Looks to Tampa as Leader in Fight Against PIP Fraud
Nov 10 2011 // The move by one Florida county to crack down on auto insurance fraud by targeting staged accidents and regulating clinics is being seen as a roadmap for state officials looking to reform the state’s no-fault auto...
Homeowners Choice Assumes HomeWise Policies in Florida
Nov 8 2011 // Homeowners Choice Property and Casualty Insurance Co. said it has acquired HomeWise Insurance Co.’s book of business in Florida. Approved by state regulators, the deal adds 70,000 Florida homeowners to Homeowners...
Florida’s Citizens Cutting Back on Coverage
Nov 7 2011 // Florida homeowners who insure their homes through the state-run property insurer, Citizens, will have less coverage available next year. Citizens Property Insurance Corp., in a message to agents, said it will no longer...
Florida Workers’ Comp Rates to Rise; Doctor-Dispensed Drug Costs Eyed
Nov 7 2011 // Employers in Florida will be paying more for workers’ compensation next year following the state insurance chief’s approval of an 8.9 percent statewide average rate hike. Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin...
The Demotech Company Classification System Reveals State Specialist Property/Casualty Insurers
Nov 7 2011 // Company Name State of Speciality 2010 TOTAL DPW Texas Mutual Insurance Co. TX 596,191 Old American County Mutual Fire Insurance Co. TX 575,100 SAIF Corporation OR 327,373 St. Johns Insurance Co. Inc. FL 257,106 Brickstreet...
Declarations
Nov 7 2011 // Amish Appeal “We think there are important Kentucky constitutional issues that need to be resolved by this case.” William Sharp, an American Civil Liberties Union attorney representing Amish men in Kentucky who...
Business Moves
Nov 7 2011 // The Doctors Co., FPIC Insurance Medical liability insurer The Doctors Co. has completed its previously-announced acquisition of FPIC Insurance Group Inc., a major provider of health care liability insurance in Florida,...
Regulators Elect 2012 Officers; Florida’s McCarty Serves as President
Nov 4 2011 // The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has elected its 2012 officers. Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin M. McCarty will serve as president, and Louisiana Insurance Commissioner James J. Donelon will...
Florida Looks to Rein In Cost of Repackaged Drugs
Nov 3 2011 // In an effort to lower workers’ compensation costs, Florida lawmakers are proposing to limit the amount physicians can charge for providing patients with prescription drugs. State Sen. Alan Hays (R-Umatilla) and Rep....
Florida Calls for More Oversight in Check Cashing Industry Role in Workers’ Comp
Nov 3 2011 // Check cashing companies in Florida may be saddled with new regulations for their role in facilitating workers’ compensation fraud in the construction industry. Among other things, check cashing companies may have to...
Florida’s Scott Wants Recommendations from Citizens by Dec. 6
Nov 3 2011 // Gov. Rick Scott wants the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. to recommend ways to shore up the troubled insurer. Scott, who would prefer the insurer be sold to a private company, wants answers from the...
Florida Consumer Advocate on PIP: Is it Worth the Cost?
Nov 2 2011 // Florida’s automobile no-fault law is in severe need of reform, but the cost of doing so may be more than the benefit, according to the state’s insurance consumer advocate. Speaking before Florida’s...
Florida, Georgia Agree on Catastrophe Cooperation Plan
Nov 2 2011 // Florida and Georgia have renewed their partnership to provide services in the event a catastrophe compromises their ability to respond to a disaster. First drafted in 2009, the updated plan is designed to ensure a...
Settlement Reached in Florida Anthrax Death Case
Nov 1 2011 // The widow of a tabloid photo editor who died in the 2001 anthrax mailings has reached a settlement in her lawsuit against the U.S. government. Maureen Stevens of Lake Worth, Florida, and the government have reached a...
